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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Lakeland (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Lakeland. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Lakeland is located in Lanier County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Georgia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lanier County: Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Echols & Lowndes.

Below are the counties that are near Lakeland. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lakeland:

  • Lanier County     (The home county of Lakeland)
  • Atkinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Leliaton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Leliaton is located in Atkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leliaton
    • Willacoochee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Pearson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Axson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Berrien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Ray City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Nashville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Alapaha
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Enigma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Brooks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Barney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Morven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Fodie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Fodie is located in Brooks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fodie
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,037 people
  • Clinch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Du Pont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Homerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Cogdell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Cogdell is located in Clinch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cogdell
    • Chauncey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Chauncey is located in Clinch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chauncey
      • Estimated population in 2019: 326 people
    • Argyle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Ernest
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Ernest is located in Clinch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernest
  • Coffee County
    • Mora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Mora is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Estimated population in 2019: 444 people
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Cecil
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Adel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Sparks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lenox
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Staunton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Staunton is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staunton
  • Echols County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Howell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Howell is located in Echols County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
    • Fruitland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Fruitland is located in Echols County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
    • Statenville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Potter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Potter is located in Echols County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Estimated population in 2019: 870 people
  • Lowndes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Naylor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Franklinville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Franklinville is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklinville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 971 people
    • Hahira
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Barko Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Barko Village is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barko Village
    • Mineola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mineola is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineola
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 150 people
    • Valdosta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Remerton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Remerton is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remerton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
    • Shiloh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Shiloh is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Dasher
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Dasher is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dasher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people
    • Lake Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Melrose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Melrose is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
    • Clyattville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.
    • Millwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Manor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Hamilton County (FL)
    • Jennings
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lakeland, see our County-by-County Page for Lakeland.

Cemeteries Near Lakeland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lakeland.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Lakeland - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lakeland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.

  • Lovejoy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • St. John MB Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Beaver Dam Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Hendley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Hightower Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • James Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Foreman Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Avera Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Poplar Springs Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sweet Prospect Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Baskins Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (118 more) ...

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Lakeland in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lakeland.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Lakeland, with the one closest to Lakeland listed first.

  • Naylor
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Du Pont
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Nashville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Withers
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Withers is located in Clinch County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withers
  • Hahira
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Mineola
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Mineola is located in Lowndes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineola
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 150 people
  • Valdosta
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Homerville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Adel
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Dasher
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Dasher is located in Lowndes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dasher
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people
  • Statenville
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Lake Park
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Tarver
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Tarver is located in Echols County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarver
    • Alapaha
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Morven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lakeland. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lakeland.

Newspapers Published in Lakeland ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lakeland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lakeland, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lakeland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Lakeland:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Lakeland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Lakeland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.